Devices for cleaning venetian blinds



April 23, 1957 s. sussMAN ErAL 2,789,307

DEVICES FOR CLEANING VENETIAN BLINDS Filed March 10, 1955' Il!! ...Hint ad filllllllr United tates Sidney Sussman, Bronx, and Norman A. Haber and Moe Feldman, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 10, 1955, Serial No. 493,336

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-394) This invention relates to novel means for cleaning Venetian blinds. 'Ihe advantages of Venetian blinds are too well known to require enumeration. A Venetian blind, however, presents a very serious cleaning problem. The slats are numerous. Each slat has two opposite surfaces tobe cleaned, and each slat is subdivided by tapes into two marginal sections and an intermediate section. The blind extends the full height of a window, so that some of the slats are diicult to reach, and this adds to the diiculty of cleaning. Furniture must be moved to permit repeated ladder settings and then replaced. The result is that even the simple dusting of a blind presents a task of a very tedious nature, and that a careful and thorough washing job is seldom undertaken.

This is unfortunate because the otherwise attractive blind accumulates dust, soot and sometimes grease. The blind sometimes gets rained upon, and when this occurs the dirt which has accumulated on the associated screen is carried onto the blind in a streaked or spotted condition. On the east, west or south side of a building the blind bakes in the sun, and while a clean blind having a good quality of enamel coating can withstand this treatment, a blind loaded with sulphurous, corroding combustion products and other solid particles from the atmosphere is caused in a short time to become dull, dingy and unsightly. Before long the blind is merely tolerated, not admired. In the usual case this condition, after being submitted to with discomfort for a time, is nally corrected by sending the blind in for an expensive complete overhauling and painting.

It is the primary purpose of the present invention to provide a device of a simple, inexpensive character capable of eicient use in dusting and/or scrubbing Venetian blinds.

To this end the device is desirably made to include a multiplicity of opposed pairs of slat cleaning jaws consisting of a multiplicity of upper surface engaging jaws atlixed at intervals to one carrying member and a multiplicity of lower surface engaging jaws atiixed at intervals to another carrying member. The jaws carried by the two members are arranged in alternation, being effectively paired so that the jaws of a pair may be caused lightly to grip a blind `slat between them, or to press directly against one another. It is a feature that the carrying members are connected with provision for relative longitudinal movement so that all the jaw pairs can be operated simultaneously toward open position or simultaneously toward closed position. A locking means is provided for retaining a desired condition of relative adjustment.

Any suitable number of jaw pairs can be provided in a single device. The illustrative structure may be'assumed to comprise ten pairs although only a part of them are actually shown. Thus, twenty surfaces may be cleaned simultaneously. The device is desirably made narrow, perhaps about an inch and a half wide. This has a number of advantages. The cost of the device is limited be- Patented Apr. 23, 1957 cause relatively little material is utilized. The device is capable of use on even relatively narrow marginal areas, being capable of movement back and forth lengthwise of the slats without being objectionably obstructed and limited by the window frame. The narrowness of the device limits the weight, and this is a very important consideration because the device must be designed to operate upon as many slats simultaneously as is feasible without imposing undue strain upon persons of limited strength and energy. For this reason itis desirable that the device be constructed chieily of the white metals such as aluminum and magnesium or of plastic. These materials have the additional advantage that they are corrosion-proof. The invention is not, however, limited to these named materials.

It is a feature that each jaw member is provided on one surface with a soft, porous, non-abrasive spongy material, suitable to carry water or cleaning solution to the blind slats and to be Yrubbed along the slats without producing abrasion. These spongy bodies can be adjusted to grip the slats very lightly between them or to receive the slats with a slight clearance when the slats are to be scrubbed. The slat engaging surfaces of the sponge strips conform to the slat surfaces of a blind in transverse contour. This may be brought about by applying hat sponge strips to jaw body members of slat conforming shape, or by employing jaw body members of non-conforming shape and suitably varying the thickness of each sponge strip.

It is a point that the spongy facing members of the jaws can be compressed against one another to effect a wringing action when desired.

In its simplest form the device may consist merely of two sets of sponge-faced jaws, two carrying members and a locking member. Such a device can be used for dusting or for scrubbing. For the latter service the jaws would be wetted with a cleaning solution, wrung out partially by pressure, adjusted on the `slats of a blind and worked back and forth endwise of the slats.

It is a further feature, however, that provision may be made of means for furnishing the jaws with fresh clean- Aing solution while they are in place on the blind.

It is still another feature that provision may be made for applying the blowing action or the suction action of a vacuum cleaner to the blind slats. This would desirably be done with the sponge-faced jaws in a dry condition, and the scrubbing would be caused to follow, when desired, as a separate operation.

'Ihe device is desirably provided with a removable and adjustable extension handle for dealing with extra wide blinds. 'Ihe handle is also a convenience in reaching somewhat higher from a given level than would otherwise be possible.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a view in sectional elevation, broken away intermediate its ends for compactness of illustration, vand showing a practical and advantageous form of Venetian blind cleaning device which is illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical front view, partly in section, and broken away intermediate its ends for compactness, the View being taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3 3 `of Figure l looking -in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view showing the two uppermost pairs of jaws in a closed condition, as all the jaws would appear during a blind wash-ving operation, the showing being otherwise like that of Figure and Figure Y15' is'a perspective`Y viewA of a downwardly facing jaw'member.

The illustrative cleaning device shown in the drawing comprises a main carrying bar 1t) and anaiuriliarycarry;

ing-bar'12., The'Y bar 10 isdesirablya'straightat.bar

' havingalon-gitudinal,slot 14 formedneariitsjlower end.'

The auxiliary carrying 'bar 12is also desirablyjastraight As shown, the stud is formedjwith .areduced end "p ortionwhichispassed through anopening v18 of the bar 12'a11d upset. The. shank of thethreadedstud i6 has a spacing washer .2d mountedY upon it,' and is passed through the slot 14.Y AV nut 22Vhavinga knurled head is' threadedonithestud andservestoclamp the-bar 10A against' a .washer 2i?" andlthe'barflz." The nutV 22,' in

Vcooperationwith' the studY 16,.constitutes a means. for

VVenetirfur blind. Each jaw comprises a jaw member 26,

ldesirably of sheet metal. The jaw memberr26' includes a vertically extendingportion 28, which is rigidly securedV tothe bar'12 in any suitable manner, as by spot welding, brazing or soldering. The jaw member 26 further includes a spacing portion 30, shown as a straight horizontal'portion', and a sponge carrying portion 32 which.

is `desirably lcurved as shown,y or otherwise Isuitably shaped toconform to the transverse contour of a lower face of a Venetian blind slat. Each jaw member Zdmay be caused to terminate in an outer upturned lip Y33.v

The 'portionV 32 has secured to its upper surface by water soluble adhesive, or by vulcanization, a soft;

spongy,v porous strip of material 34, herein called for brevity a sponge strip. The sponge strip, however, is not-"composed, vas a rule, of natural sponge but rather of a synthetic sponge material such as. sponge rubber,.o1: the so-called reinforced cellulose sponge material sold under the trade name Nylonge.. The stripsv maybe of uniform thickness `or they may. be variedv in.thickness to -secure conformity with the various slatcontours..

in'alternationwith the upwardly facing jaws 24 which arecarri'ed by the bar 12, provision is made of. down. wardlry facing jaws 36 which are .carried by thebarA 10.

Each" jaw '35 includes a body member 3S, desirablyv l:formed of sheet'metal. The jaw member -33fincludes a vertical portion 4i? which is secured infany' suitable` manner, as by Ispot welding, brazing or solderingto they bar 10. The jaw member 38. further includes ahorizontal spacing portion 42 which is formed with. a. slot 44 through which the bar 12passes with comfortable. clearf ance.V It is the ends of the slots 44'which prevent sub.-

stantial pivotal movement of the bar. 12.relative to the.

bar 1l).A The body memberSS still further. includesna` sponge carrying portion 46 which is curved as shown, or.V

otherwise suitably shaped to conform'tothe transverse contour ofthe upper face of a Venetian blindslat.. TheY portion 46 of the jaw 36,' like the portionz ofthe jaw 24; hasv Suitablysecured to it a sponge 'strip as. already described. 'Il'ie spacing of the jaws 32 isthe same as that `of thev jaWsZ-d. The bar, 10. has rigidly. -aiiiedto f it an oriset` carrying Yhandle 48 which is open at the bottom.

As' shown in Figure l, the opposedpairs'of upwardly facing:v andi ddwnwardly'A `facing jaws are separated"V as widely'as. possible.

When the jaws are thusseparated the-'device can be conveniently'inserted toembrace a-r serics of consecutive slats of a Venetian blind correspond@ ing in number to the number of jaw pairs which the device provides. t-icular blind may not be identical with the standard spacing for which the device is ideally designed, a considerable deviation from standard spacing can be -accommodated with the jaws fully separated as shown in Figure l, or separated to a lesserb-ut substantial extent.

YThe bars 1t) and 12 may then be relatively moved lengthwise to bring the jaws of each 4.pair into engagement with, or substantially into engagement with, theoppositefaces of one of the embracedslats offtheblind; the condition lbeing Isubstantially that illustrated in Figure 4. The bars may be locked by tightening` ofthenut 22 to m`aintain any selected condition. .Ihe devicemay now be moved back and forth bythe handle along the slats t-o wipe the dust from the slats. This may be done with the sponge strips lof the jaws in a dry condition or in a moist condition as preferred. When theentire blind has tbeen .dusted it maybe scrubbed with a cleaningfsolution;` The cleane-V ing solution .t-o, be employed isa matter of. choice.,

Whether the blind is tobe scrubbed ormerely dusted.; with the sponge strips damp, the same technique kmay be followed. The jaws may be submerged in a supplyo water orjof cleaning solution with the jaws irnanopen` condition like that illustrated in FigureV l Aand/maytheirv be pressedfilrmly together to etfect a..wringing-.actCril;v After that they maybe appliedto theblindinithe matr-g Y ner alreadydeseribed andworked back and forthtorV The device can.. beA cleansed Vand provided with freshcleaning liquid as oftenY dusting or scrubbing purposes.

as desired.

In some instances anextension handle wilLprovean The handle-48 is accordingly` provided .with a. short rigid spur 50 which terminates in.` a balL 52.. A knurled linger nut 54- surrounds the ball. and maybe detachably threaded to a bent end portion of.

important .convenience an extension handle 56. The ball-and nut alford capacity' for `complete rotary adjustment and for a .limited universal adjustment. of. the extensionihandle relative to the fixed handle. The connection may be made arigid one `by tightening the nut 54 rmly. p

Thefextension handle 561may be removed by-unserewf ingit from the nut. The handle would be used'ordinaril-y` inenablin'g'the user, when on a ladder, to .push thedevice `a considerabledistance along.V a very wide blind.. Itis also. a help in reaching. somewhat higher fromthe ooror fromany other selected level thanwould 4otherwisefbepossible. Because. the locking means 16, 22.2isvlocated at the lower enclv of. the. device, the operator can,withthef.

aid of the extension handle, reach slats which are out of his directreach as muchas the full height of the device;

In the embodiment shown` provision is made for opf tionally applyinga.liquidY supplying bulb or optionally `applying a vacuum cleaner hose tov the-device. Forfthis, purpose the handle 48. is: provided with7a..,passages58`lwhich communicates yat its. lower end with theimeriorof'.v

a rigidly attached downwardly facing cup-likemember` 602v The member 6i? includes a skirt portion lfwhich isv formedwitha bayonet slot-64l for thereceptionwof auf.

anchoringside pin of a vacuum cleaner hose: The hose' may be applied to cause the cleaner either toiblowv orf to suck the' dust oiV the blind.

Thev member Adtialso includes a neckV portion `'whic'zh is formed with Vaninternal tapered thread for-thcl-alterua# tive attachment of a liquid containingbulb if Thek'bulb'j y can Vbe kept in place during the scrubbing"operationgfand` can beppressed to squirt fresh cleaning liquid onto the sponge stripsof the jaws from time to; time yas desired.' The passage 58 'through' the handie 48 communicates of' the bar 10.V Discharge'passages 72 are formed at ap# propriateintervals through the bar `lirand penetratethe' tubef'lO," as bestv shown in' Figuresl, 3 and; 4.' SlotsV 74" are properly provided through theV bar 10 forafr'ordi'ng the Even though the slatY spacing of'thetparf passages 72 access to the spongy faces of the jaws 24 and 36.

We have described what we believe to be the best embodiments of our invention. We do not wish, however, to be conned to the embodiments shown, but what we desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A Venetian blind cleaner comprising, in combination, a first jaw carrying member, a first series of corresponding facing, equally spaced slat engaging, cleaning jaws rigidly aixed to said member, a second jaw carrying member, a second series of correspondingly facing equally spaced slat engaging, cleaning jaws rigidly affixed to the second carrying member, the jaws of the first 'and second series being oppositely faced and equally spaced, means connecting the carrying members with capacity for relative longitudinal movement to enable the ycorresponding confronting jaws of the two series to be moved simultaneously 'away from one another or simultaneously toward one another, means for locking the rst and second carrying members in xed relation when desired, a carrying and operating handle rigidly affixed to one of the carrying members, the handle and the jaw carrying member to which it is aixed being formed with passages for cleaning liquid and the jaw carrying member having outlets adjacent the jaws when in operative, cleaning positions for directing the liquid onto the cleaning faces of the jaws, and the handle including a tting adapted for the attachment of a liquid supplying means thereto.

2. A Venetian blind cleaner comprising, in combination, a first jaw carrying member, 4a first series of correspondingly facing, equally spaced slat engaging, cleaning jaws rigidly aixed to said member, a second jaw carrying member, a second series `of correspondingly facing equally spaced slat engaging, cleaning jaws rigidly aixed to the second carrying member, the jaws of the rst and second series being oppositely faced and equally spaced, means connecting the carrying members with capacity for relative longitudinal movement to enable the corresponding confronting jaws of the two series to be moved simultaneously away from one yanother or simultaneously toward one another, means for locking the irst and second carrying members in fixed relation when desired, and ya carrying and operating handle rigidly laixed to one of the carrying members, the handle and the jaw carrying member to which it is affixed being formed with air passages, the carrying member having outlet-inlet passages adjacent the jaws when in operative cleaning position through which air can be sucked or blown between the jaws for removing dust from the blind, -and the handle including a fitting adapted for the ready attachment and detachment of a vacuum cleaner hose.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 356,329 Cline June 21, 1887 203,208 Spaulding Apr. 30, 1878 447,446 Cook Mar. 3, 1891 635,778 Hudelson Oct. 31, 1899 2,153,893 Johanson Apr. 11, 1939 2,622,256 Vojacek Dec. 23, 1952 2,663,046 Coguen Dec. 22, 1953 2,761,164 Nielsen Sept. 4, 1956 

